On Friday, October 2, 2009, exactly one year after Michael Winston of Mendota Heights was diagnosed with ALS at age 24, the "Winning for Winston" friends and community mobilized their effort to change the face of this disease. They rallied around the Winston family to raise awareness and funds to fuel the research engine at 
the ALS Therapy Development Institute. Without any previous fundraising experience, this passionate and dedicated group raised over $120,000! The casino-themed event was extraordinary in every way! A silent auction (with more than 400 items) raised over $20,000. The live auction, emceed by Richard Roeper, brought in an additional $21,000 and a raffle winner won a condo in Vegas for 5 days. More than 370 people were in attendance at this event hosted at the Golden Valley Country Club.
"It was absolutely amazing to see this passionate group of people come together to fight this devastating disease. The "Winning for Winston" circle of friends are definitely not going to take this disease sitting down. The morning after the event, they were already talking about the 2nd Annual event! Now, that's passion and determination," said Midwest Regional Director Amy Whipple following the casino night event.
ALS TDI would like to thank everyone in the greater Golden Valley area that made this event a successful, including Mona & Jeff Winston, Shelli Stall Smith, Jim & Deb Bomberg, Lenny & Terry Newman and of course, Michael Winston.
For more information on this event, please click here.